Highlights:
- On a national level, 44% of all coworking spaces were located in suburbs.
- The Los Angeles metro area had the most suburban coworking spaces (more than 360), with 91 of them in Irvine — the nation’s top suburb with the most flex workspaces.
- Coworking spaces were more common in the suburbs than in LA proper.
- Regus, Flex Workspace+ and Premier Workspaces were the top operators with most spaces in the suburbs.
For many years, living among picket fences has been a dream for many Americans. However, due to the shifts brought forth by the pandemic, this dream has become a reality for many as migration from large cities reached all-time highs. In fact, the Economic Innovation Group reported that, in 2021, populations decreased in 68% of urban counties — which, judging by historical standards, was a significantly high share.
Given the rise in remote work, it was only natural that personal and work lives would become intertwined. As such, suburbs have welcomed not only new residents in the last few years, but also businesses and coworking spaces that cater to remote workers.
With this in mind, CoworkingCafe — a nationwide website for searching for coworking spaces — recently ranked the top American suburbs with the most coworking spaces. In doing so, they pinpointed those that had at least 10 flex workspaces each, which came out to 37 such suburbs in the nation.
Almost Half of National Coworking Inventory Located in Suburbs
On a national level, the distribution of coworking spaces appeared to be quite balanced: while 56% of them were attributed to bustling urban cores, a healthy 44% of coworking spaces were spread across several popular suburbs.
This not only confirmed a healthy demand from suburban workers, but also that coworking operators were willing to reach further than just business districts and vibrant downtowns to bring their spaces to smaller communities in the cul-de-sac.
According to CoworkingCafe’s analysis, these are the top U.S. suburbs with the most coworking spaces:
Most Suburban Coworking Spaces are in LA Metro
Notably, a whopping 361 coworking spaces could be found in the Los Angeles metro, including 91 in the nation’s leading suburb, Irvine. Given that LA’s predominant industries (entertainment, technology and aerospace) are hard to replicate in a work-from-home environment, it makes sense that so many coworking spaces are now available for remote workers in this area.
In Irvine, in particular, the suburb’s self-serving nature and its proximity to the City of Angels make it the perfect candidate for workers who want to enjoy all of the perks and amenities of the big city, while also living and working in a more tranquil environment.
Next, one of LA’s most luxurious suburbs, Newport Beach, claimed an impressive 25 coworking spaces for its residents. Meanwhile, Pasadena ranked third in the metro with 16 flex workspaces at its core.
Close behind were Long Beach with 15 coworking spaces; Beverly Hills with 13; and Santa Monica and Costa Mesa with 11 spaces each. Last, but not least, Glendale also boasted 10 flex workspaces for its surburbanites.
Given LA’s thriving business scene — which includes the suburbs — it comes as no surprise that major coworking operators have breached this market. Here, 197 suburban shared workspaces were operated by Flex Workspace+, Premier Workspaces, Regus, WeWork, Spaces, and other big players. The remaining 164 belonged to smaller operators, like TailoredSpace, SuitesPro, and Hollywood Production Center.
Washington, D.C. Metro Records 160+ Suburban Coworking Spaces
During the pandemic years, the Washington, D.C. area registered one of the most significant urban flights, according to the D.C. Policy Center. And, considering that the federal government hasn’t officially ordered a return-to-the-office edict, coworking spaces have taken this area by storm to cater to the new influx of remote workers.
Moreover, new construction in Washington, D.C. is hindered by local policies, so any new developments are bound to be built outside of the urban areas.
As a result, popular suburbs in Washington, D.C. had a healthy supply of coworking spaces. Specifically, Arlington, VA, was the top suburb in the metro area, logging 25 coworking spaces. This fact pairs well with the area’s wealthy status, urban vibe and high level of education among residents. An additional 17 more coworking spaces were located in Alexandria, while Fairfax and Bethesda had 12 and 11 such spaces, respectively.
Similarly, the majority of coworking spaces in the Washington, D.C. area also belonged to large operators, such as Regus, Perfect Office Solutions, LocalWorks and Industrious. The top smaller players here were Metro Offices, Oasis Office and Navigate.
108 Flex Workspaces in San Francisco Suburbs
Known for its flourishing tech scene and thriving economy, the San Francisco metro was also home to more than 100 coworking spaces distributed among suburbs. More precisely, Oakland was the metro’s leading suburb with 24 coworking spaces available to its residents.
Plus, the city employs many workers in prominent industries like business, health care, government, entertainment, transportation and arts, so the demand for coworking spaces is sure to be present in the area.
At the same time, Berkeley — home to one of the best universities in the country — also logged 13 suburban coworking spaces, while San Mateo had 10. In these suburbs, residents can benefit from friendly and safe suburban areas within close proximity to thriving job hubs like San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
To that end, in the San Francisco metro area, smaller coworking operators overran big industry players when it came to their suburban expansion. As such, Oakstop, Sima Spaces, Bonneville Labs, and many other independent operators provided a larger total number of coworking spaces than Regus, WeWork, and Pacific Workspaces.
High Number of Coworking Spaces in Three Miami Suburbs
On the opposite coast, there were 132 coworking spaces available in Miami suburbs. These make it easy for residents to benefit not only from the perks of living close to vibrant urban areas (with enticing job opportunities and vast entertainment options), but also from the peace and quiet of suburbia. What’s more, the high number of coworking spaces in this region is a favorable solution to a trend that’s now rising in South Florida — a significant return to the office, which makes it common for workers to leave their homes for three or four days a week.
In particular, Boca Raton was the metro’s leading suburb in terms of coworking spaces with 19. For comparison, Coral Gables had 16 flex workspaces available for its residents and Aventura logged another 10.
As far as coworking operators in the Miami metro, Regus had the most spaces. However, WeWork, Quest Workspaces, and Industrious were also present in the area, as were small operators, like Buro, Nexus Workspaces and The Crexent.
Three Suburbs in Dallas-Fort Worth Metro Rank High in Terms of Coworking
The Dallas-Fort Worth metro was also represented on the podium due to its total number of 121 coworking spaces and three popular suburbs that each had more than 10 spaces. An area dominated by suburban offices, the DFW area typically performs better in suburban markets than central business districts.
For instance, Plano — which started out as a quiet farming community — has now developed into one of the most enticing suburbs, a fact that’s also reinforced by its 19 coworking spaces. Likewise, given Irving’s status as a major hotspot for the corporate world, it’s no wonder that 14 coworking spaces were also found in this thriving suburb. At the same time, the wealthy area of Frisco also claimed 11 suburban flex workspaces.
Here again, more spaces in the DFW metro were attributed to big operators than independent ones: Regus, Lucid Private Offices, and Executive Workspace dominated the coworking scene here, while smaller coworking player Caddo was the only one to record more than five spaces in the area.
The top 37 suburbs with at least 10 coworking spaces were rounded out by: Scottsdale, AZ; Cambridge, MA; Bellevue, WA; Tacoma, WA; Alpharetta, GA; Carlsbad, CA; Overland Parks, KS; Columbia, MD; Mesa, AZ; Aurora, CO; Santa Clara, CA; Jersey City, NJ; Troy, MI; Princeton, NJ; Palo Alto, CA; Henderson, NV.
Three Metros Have Significantly More Coworking Spaces in Suburbs Than in Their Urban Cores
Although urban areas had more coworking spaces than suburbs at the national level, the balance was tipped in favor of suburban coworking in three metros.
The Los Angeles metro area had the widest discrepancy, with approximately 260 more coworking spaces located in suburban areas than in the main city. And, with a disparity of more than 80 coworking spaces, the Washington, D.C. metro area recorded the second-highest difference in distribution, while the Boston area claimed 45 more coworking spaces in its suburbs.
